Kaumana Barton, Kiser Motorcycles’ general manager, has been riding with a special group of street companions since he first got on a bike—his family.
“My first bike actually was my grandpa's last bike, which I restored when I was in high school,” Kaumana says. “It was my dad's first bike too. And then I got that running, and I rode that all through high school, and I've always just been riding motorcycles ever since then.”
It’s a family tradition that continues to grow.
“I ride mostly with just my family. My dad and my brothers all have bikes. And then, guys at work, we'll all get together and cruise around,” he shares.
After Kaumana graduated from Konawaena High School, he took off to Brigham Young University–Hawai’i on O’ahu. But the ties to—and the rides on—Big Island called him back, and it was too much of a calling to resist.
“My favorite place to ride is the Kohala side,” Kaumana says. “I like that green scenery and cooler temperature. Pololū Valley is usually our turnaround.”
When Kaumana returned to the Big Island from O’ahu, Kiser Motorcycles welcomed him.
“There was a job opening and I jumped on it,” Kaumana says. “So I started in Receiving and bounced around, did Parts Management, and then became the store manager.”
Whether you are a grizzled veteran looking for a new ride or a young commuter getting back and forth between work and errands on a moped scooter, there’s a good chance some bikes are worth checking out in the store.
“New riders will come, and they'll pick up a little Honda Rebel 300, and then that's something that they can go out and learn on,” Kaumana says. “And it's light enough and easy enough to be their first bike.”
Motorcycle Safety Foundation, perhaps the most popular nonprofit organization that brings new riders up to speed around the U.S., does not currently offer its courses on Hawai’i Island. However, Kaumana is well-networked and happy to connect beginner or pre-beginner riders with local instructors.
“I wish we had that here on the island,” Kaumana says. “The only MSF course around is on O’ahu, which is a bummer. They used to teach in Hilo, but that stopped a while ago. There are a couple of guys that we recommend as instructors. It's not really an MSF course, but they help new riders learn. Most of the time, it's just people who have friends who ride, so they want to join in, too.”
Regardless of your riding style or the type of terrain you want to explore, there are plenty of options on Hawai’i Island.
“You can send riders in any direction from the shop,” Kaumana says. “I usually send people north. If they want a twisty road, they go on the Kohala Mountain Road. It's just beautiful, beautiful views, nice green pastures. You can send them down south if they want to see lava fields and want to kind of stay more out of the rain, usually in the morning, stay dry, go in that direction. Or send 'em across the saddle if they want to get to Hilo and the rainforest and look at stuff like that.”
Aside from motorcycles, side-by-side utility vehicles (UTV) are particularly popular at the moment. UTVs are designed for both work and recreational off-road use, a fun way to explore parts of the island.
“There are a lot of ranchers and farmers looking at the side-by-sides,” Kaumana says. “But even just regular families are getting them because they hold six people, and they can go ride around the trails, or hunters buy them to go hunt pigs in the forest.”
Kaumana’s tradition of riding with family continues when he's not at Kiser. He’s already taught his oldest son how to get comfortable in the saddle. Now that his son is on a church mission in Tahiti, Kaumana is teaching his second.
“He inherited his older brother's motorcycle,” Kaumana says. “He is learning. He has a Honda Shadow 750 that he is learning to ride. So I’m definitely keeping the family riding tradition going.”
He’s hoping that the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, an event sponsored by Triumph Motorcycles, returns to the island next year after its run this May. The event raises funds and awareness for men’s mental health and prostate cancer research. The ride features predominantly classics—cafe bikes, choppers and the like—and the riders are encouraged to dress to the nines.
Hollywood may continue to perpetuate the image of the tough biker in the leather jacket with a cigarette between their lips—see Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, and Austin Butler in The Bikeriders from 2023—but Kiser serves riders of every demographic.
“For us here on the Big Island, even though there are a whole bunch of different clubs, everybody gets along,” Kaumana says. “There's only one road that goes around the entire island. So I mean, we share, and it's all family. We all gotta ride it.”
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“My favorite place to ride is the Kohala side. I like that green scenery and cooler temperature. Pololū Valley is usually our turnaround.”
“There's only one road that goes around the entire island. So I mean, we share, and it's all family. We all gotta ride it.”